Make a no-cost medicinal broth
By Sari Huhtala
The next time you’re chopping vegetables, peeling onions or garlic, don’t toss those nutrient-dense scraps in the composter, instead toss them into the freezer for later use to make a mineral-rich broth.
Although we don’t often think of broth as good preventative medicine, considering the combination of all kinds of veggie scraps, from pumpkin and squash pulp, to cauliflower leaves and stems and onion peels, there’s a lot of goodness waiting to be made into a nourishing broth that will double as a soup base. And it’s totally free!
Onion and garlic peels not only add fabulous flavour to your broth, but they’re chock full of quercetin, a potent antioxidant. Quercetin helps combat oxidative stress, which leads to chronic inflammation, which then can lead to cancer, diabetes and other diseases, researchers at the National Institutes of Health confirmed in a 2015 study in the Journal of Cancer Prevention.
Their study, using onion peel extract, found onion peel to have anti-cholesterol, antihypertensive, anti-diabetes and antithrombotic properties, along with cancer-fighting properties.
Red onions have been found to have the largest amount of quercetin.
Making a broth is easy. Collect all kinds of veggie scraps into a veggie bag, the kind you find in the grocery store produce section. Once the bag is full, toss the scraps into a large 20-quart pot, add water to fill to the top, bring to a boil, place lid on top, then simmer for about two to three hours on low.
To pump up the minerals in your broth, add medicinal herbs like thyme, oregano, basil and bay leaf near the end, while it’s simmering – anything goes! I’ve tossed in carrot tops from the garden, a few sorrel leaves, plantain leaves, whatever goodness I can get my hands on.
Cool the broth. Then scoop out onion and garlic peels, bay leaves, and stems from any fresh herbs you might have used. Toss them in the composter. Strain the broth, saving the veggies for a concentrated broth paste. This quantity typically makes about 24 to 28 cups of veggie broth. I freeze the broth in four-cup portions. Then thaw as required for soups, or for a daily health boosting broth.
Now it’s time for the paste, if you choose to take it one step further. Puree all the veggies in a blender or food processor to form a paste. Use fresh, about one tablespoon mixed in a cup of hot water, to make a broth. I like to add a teaspoon or more of miso paste to add a shot of probiotics in my cup of broth. You can even take it one step further by adding a about half teaspoon of turmeric powder, along with a couple of dashes of black pepper to aid with the absorption of the turmeric.
I also line a pan with parchment paper and drop the puree by a spoonful onto the pan, then freeze into pucks, which you can use later in a broth, or add a puck to your smoothie for extra nutrition. The concentrated broth also works well to create a veggie soup base.
Happy broth making!
(This information is not intended to replace medical advice and treatment from a health care practitioner).
Sari Huhtala is the creator, publisher and editor of Alive and Fit Magazine, which was created in 2007. She has over 25 years of experience in journalism and over 15 years of experience as a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, and is a holistic chef, offering holistic cooking and edible wilds workshops. She is an organic farmer, wild-crafter and grandmother, who has spent over 20 years navigating a holistic, healthy path for her family. Reach her at friends@thelaughingforest.ca
.
